Will Power And The Art Of Walking Away

[monkeyboy]

The power of the dark side got the better of me.

I had my eye on a Craigslist find, a $99 1990 Sankyo Pochi Pachinko out on the East Coast and as Monday is my day off work I left the wife and baby sleeping early this morning and made the 110 mile round trip.

I thought it would be the perfect starter machine for our little one (super cute doggie theme). OK she's only 2 weeks old but you have to start them young.

I arrived just as the store was opening and quickly made a bee line for the machine. The machine looked great in the low res listing photo and I'd spoken to a salesperson there on the phone and was told it was in good condition.

The first thing I noticed was 3 or 4 long cracks to the left side of the playfield the widest and longest going straight through the middle of a row of pins. How disappointing. The machine needed a good clean the tracks were all full of fluff and dust and it came with a bag of rusty balls. Also the front tray plastic had been scraped and some of the white Sankyo lettering also.

The machine seemed to work OK. LED's lit up and it made sounds.

They were asking $99 which is probably a fair price if in excellent condition but with cracks in the playfield? The lowest they were willing to go was $75. So I walked.

So Pachitalkers do you think I did the right thing? Or have I made a big mistake?

[wrkey]

Strong is the power to resist the dark side in this one it is.

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

I think you did the right thing. A split cell is unrepairable and having the other condiitons problems certainly did not make for a $75 machine either. I too would have walked.

But then again I already have one!

[monkeyboy]

I forgot to add that it also had loose fitting plexi fitted that caused the balls to jam up on the playfield so new glass would also be needed.

[Moparformances]

i too think u did the right thing

your addiction must be under control

[BigBearSteve]

Well, you still have your $99 in your pocket. You did good

I would have offered 10 bucks for it as a parts machine (And only if I had something to use the parts on )

[Youngjedi]

You chose Wisely. So, Did you buy anything at all? 110 round trip is a long way to come back empty handed.

[takethecastle57]

You were smart to walk away from a tortured and abused machine . I hope you got a couple of Nathan's hot dogs for the trip back

[digital1]

You did good! Now you have $99 to spend on that next great (better) deal on C-List.
The next one will be even closer too.

[outdoorenth]

I agree with everyone. It was good that you walked away from the machine. They are asking way too much for damaged machine.

[monkeyboy]

You chose Wisely. So, Did you buy anything at all? 110 round trip is a long way to come back empty handed.

No, not even a Slurpee!

[BigBearSteve]

No, not even a Slurpee!

D'oh !!

[beachcat]

good for you . it took alot of will power but when the right one comes along you'll have the money waiting

[Stinger357]

Our addiction is never under control...it just goes in remission somethimes...but it is clever and sneaky and will spring on you when you least expect it! Be warned!

[hanabi]

You were right to walk away from a pachinko with a cracked playfield at that price

I suppose one persons idea of great condition isn't always the same as our own, it's always a good idea to ask for detailed close up pics of Pachinkos and then ask lots of questions if you are unsure, I think I ask too many questions when I buy stuff...

Must have been very disappointing to travel all that way and come back empty handed

But I'm pretty sure one in better condition will be out there just waiting for you

[new in town]

Well, you still have your $99 in your pocket. You did good

I would have offered 10 bucks for it as a parts machine (And only if I had something to use the parts on )

You did good! Now you have $99 to spend on that next great (better) deal on C-List.
The next one will be even closer too.

good for you . it took alot of will power but when the right one comes along you'll have the money waiting

You were right to walk away from a pachinko with a cracked playfield at that price

I suppose one persons idea of great condition isn't always the same as our own, it's always a good idea to ask for detailed close up pics of Pachinkos and then ask lots of questions if you are unsure, I think I ask too many questions when I buy stuff...

Must have been very disappointing to travel all that way and come back empty handed

But I'm pretty sure one in better condition will be out there just waiting for you

Or you could use the $$$ to pay the Electric Bill for your Growing Family of Pachi's you have Now.

[pinball wizard]

that was a wise decision to walk away from that one.save your money for the next one that comes along.

[wowo2a]

Well, 55 miles one way isn't too bad . The only point I would make is what kind of relationship you might have been able to create with those in the store. If they seemed like the kind of owners that would let you know when new items arrived or would be willing to work with you on parts, then you might have had a reason to plunk down your hard earned dollars. Then again, if cracks are not fixable, maybe not!